Flight guidance system providing perspective flight guidance symbology

Abstract

A flight guidance system providing perspective flight guidance symbology using positioning and terrain information provides increased pilot situational awareness of an aircraft. The guidance system uses a positioning system and a detailed mapping system to provide a perspective display for use in an aircraft. A Perspective Flight Guidance (PFG) symbology set is thereby displayed on a pilot display. The PFG symbology set includes broken line symbols representing an open tunnel and providing flow field data, a half-bracket symbol to indicate that the aircraft is no longer in the open tunnel represented by the broken line symbols and a quickened flight path vector (QFPV) symbol to provide the pilot with predictive flight path information.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to aircraft guidance systems, and more particularly to terrain following / terrain avoidance systems using perspective flight guidance information.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn order to reduce tracking errors and pilot workload, a pilot may be provided with increased situational awareness of an aircraft with respect to a desired flight path. In particular, a pilot must be aware of the actual aircraft performance, or flight path vector (FPV), the desired or commanded aircraft performance, and the predicted aircraft performance. The use of a perspective display with a predictive flight path or performance symbology set provides increased situational awareness. Perspective displays with predictive symbology permit a pilot to “see” what will be required or demanded of the aircraft to maintain a desired flight path, as well as where the aircraft will be in a finite period of time. With the increased situational awareness, the pi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

An aircraft guidance system of the present invention provides flight path vector (FPV) navigation using known terrain elevation data (e.g., calculated elevation data). Using pathway guidance

Problems solved by technology

Further, current generations of terrain flight guidance systems use radiated emissions and track errors displayed using compensatory tracking symbology (e.g., Delta-Veebar and Two-bar).

Such systems operate satisfactorily, but are limited in their ability to display future flight path information to the pilot and/or the results of pilot control input.

Thus, such displays cause much “mental gymnastics”, cognitive processing, and pilot mental workload, which may lead to additional error.

However, compensatory tracking symbology does not provide the pilot with information indicating how far the aircraft is off course or what flight control input is required to regain course centerline.

Furthermore, compensatory tracking does not provide flight path predictability, and displays that utilize compensatory symbology typically require more cognitive processing by the pilot.

This causes heavy pilot mental workload that may lead to errors, especially

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